State lawmakers in the Senate have passed a bill that would give local jurisdictions the option to publish legal notices online rather than in local newspapers.
Currently, local governments must publish legal ads from zoning notices to new ordinances in newspapers. The measure would affect county and city governments in ten counties, including Wake, Guilford and Mecklenburg.
Opponents say it would confuse residents who are looking for government notices, but the bill's sponsor, Republican Senator Jim Davis, says that's not important.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you have to remember first and foremost this is a local bill," Davis says. "And if people are going to be confused about where they get the information, they're going to be confused about who their commissioner is. The local government is going to be in charge of this, and they're going to decide what they're going to do."
The measure passed 26 to 22. It now goes to the House.
